


Pawprints

by orphan_account



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4466672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Werewolf!AU] </p><p>Based off of: “I’m a newly-turned werewolf without a pack and i can’t really control myself well on full moon nights yet and you keep finding me passed out naked on your lawn” AU.</p><p>-<br/>"Um, I'm Max, and, I just, kinda found you here in my garden," Max stammered, keeping her hand over her eyes.</p><p>"Shit, I'm so sorry, dude - I'm Chloe," she responded a little breathlessly. "I, uh, oh man, I'm sorry - "<br/>-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [explosionshark,](http://archiveofourown.org/users/explosionshark/works) [AccidentalAccount](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AccidentalAccount/pseuds/AccidentalAccount), and [TippyTypewriter](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TippyTypewriter/pseuds/TippyTypewriter) for beta-ing this terribly self-indulgent AU.
> 
> Anyway, this was normally going to stay as a private AU between friends but then after what...happened...I thought I'd let it go public. 
> 
> This the beginning narrative to set things up; after this, I'll be adding some drabbles and short stories to this AU, because my friends and I have so many scenes about puppy!Chloe lol. Anyway, hope you guys like this, and hope it eases the pain a little.

Slowly sitting up and yawning, Max looked blearily at the clock sitting on the nightstand next to her. She sighed, lying back down and curling up underneath her covers for another moment.  _It's the weekend. I should just...sleep more…_

But even as she tried to go back to her dreams, she found herself unable to fall asleep.  _Guess I'll just get up_ …

Once Max got up out of her bed (groaning and complaining internally all the while), she did her usual morning routine before heading towards the kitchen. After pouring herself a glass of water, she stood by the sink for a moment, looking out the window and into her front yard. She smiled softly to herself, looking at just how plain the front of her house was - her backyard was an entirely different world from the neat, suburban street with manicured lawns and pruned shrubs, with houses owned by uptight parents and rowdy children.

And yet, here she was, living on her own, taking care of the wild garden that thrived in her backyard - thanks to her gentle coaxing and delicate nurturing.

Max turned away from the sink, placing her glass of water on the counter before putting on a pair of worn down boots.  _Time to go see how Lisa 2.0 and the others are doing._

Except when Max opened the door to her backyard, her eyes immediately fell upon the the completely wrecked back fence that led to the forests nearby, the ruins of her completely torn up garden - and a girl...

An unconscious, blue-haired girl...Completely naked.

" _Holy shit!_ " Max immediately threw an arm up over her eyes; the sight of a nude girl in her backyard was definitely  _not_  what she was expecting to see on a Saturday morning.

"Oh, my god," she breathed, quickly turning around and shakily grabbing the blanket on her couch in the living room. "Oh my god, oh my god," she repeated, her mind in complete disarray as she tried to comprehend both the crumbling in her heart that came from the destruction  _of_  her garden and the electric shock in her brain that came from the blatant nudity of the girl  _in_  her garden.

Max, shielding her eyes slightly with her hand, slowly made her way back to her backyard, and she carefully placed the blanket over the girl's immobile body. Once she was adequately covered, Max gave a sigh of relief before kneeling down next to her.

From what Max could see of the girl's bare arms and shoulders, she looked a little worse for wear; small scratches and scrapes adorned her skin, and the dirt from the ground was smeared all over her arms and feet. Max gently brought a hand out to brush some of the soil off of the girl's right arm, briefly admiring the beauty of her tattoo;  _hibiscus flowers, it looks like._

But Max brought her gaze to the girl's face, her breath caught in her throat -  _she looks as old as me._   _What happened to her?_

She noticed the numerous number of pawprints in the ground, and her heart rate quickened as she realized just how  _huge_  they were. Turning her gaze towards the remains of her fence, a chill ran down her spine.  _Did...a bear…?_

Shaking her head, Max focused her attention on the girl on the ground. The sooner the two of them got inside, the better.

Hesitantly reaching a hand out, Max gently shook the girl's shoulder. "Hey," she said softly, unsure of how this stranger in her backyard might react to her presence.

A low groan was the girl's response. Max moved away slightly as the girl opened her eyes, squinting in the brightness of the morning light. She slowly propped herself up on her arms, and Max automatically reached a hand up to cover her eyes as the blanket shifted down the girl's body.

"Oh...shit," the girl breathed, looking from Max's incredibly red cheeks and to the destroyed plants around her. "Oh,  _shit!_ " she repeated, frantically grasping the blanket to her chest, embarrassment written all over her face as she bundled the fabric around her body.

"Um, I'm Max, and, I just, kinda found you here in my garden," Max stammered, keeping her hand over her eyes.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, dude - I'm Chloe," she responded a little breathlessly. "I, uh, oh man, I'm sorry - "

"It's fine, I just, um, are you okay?" Max asked hesitantly, her voice unsteady as she tried to keep her composure.

Chloe managed to stand up, staggering slightly as she tried to regain her balance; her shadow passed over Max, and Max stood up as well, still adamant about keeping her hand on her face.

"You can look now, and I'm fine," Chloe said, and Max lowered her hand, immediately fixing her gaze on the ground as she felt the heat rise to her face. That only served to remind her of the destruction of her garden, though; she bit her lip, one foot gently nudging the remains of a few leaves and vines.

Her heart twisted in her chest - she'd worked so hard to bring these plants to life…

"I'm...I'm sorry about your garden," she heard Chloe say softly, and Max looked up to see Chloe's gentle expression.

"It's...It's, um," Max started, but instead she turned away and started walking back to her house. "Can I ask what happened to you? Or did you see what tore up my garden?" she asked, gesturing for Chloe to follow her inside.

Chloe looked surprised for a moment, but then came in after Max, standing near the back door as she kept the blanket wrapped around her.

"I...don't really remember," she said after a moment. "I remember going to a party last night, and then -," Chloe paused, her brow furrowed as she tried to regain her memories. "I don't know. I guess I blacked out."

Leaning against the counter in her kitchen, Max bit her lip.  _The beach isn't too far from here. Sounds like a bonfire party gone wrong…_

"Here, I have some clothes you can borrow," Max said, and Chloe nodded eagerly.  _Sounds like she just needs to get back up on her feet._

Max went to her room and returned with a bundle of clothes - she pointed out the bathroom, and soon enough, Chloe was sporting a simple t-shirt and sweats.

A part of her wanted to laugh when she saw just how small her clothes looked on Chloe's tall frame - but another part of her knew better than to laugh at someone who looked like they'd had a rough night, and she bit back her amusement; only to replace it with concern when she got a good look at Chloe's appearance.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Max asked again; Chloe had cleaned herself up a little when she'd changed, and without the dirt and grime on her face, Max had to admit that though Chloe looked better -  _like, wow, she's really pretty_  - there were bags underneath her eyes and a weariness in her expression that caused Max's heart to twinge slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm cool," Chloe said, offering a small smile. "But… can I ask you for some money to get a cab back to my place?" Chloe asked sheepishly, gripping the used blanket in her hands. "I'll wash your blanket and clothes and bring them back and I'll totally pay you back too," she added quickly.

Though Max noticed how Chloe seemed to dodge the question, she responded, "Yeah, sure." She handed a few bills to Chloe, who pocketed them.

When Max finished calling a cab to pick Chloe up, the two of them waited by the front door.

"Uh, this doesn't usually happen," Chloe said sheepishly.

"I figured," Max said dryly, leaning against the door.

Chloe sighed, holding Max's blanket in her arms. "Great, now I have to do a walk of shame back home," Chloe muttered.

Unthinkingly, Max responded, "At least you look cute in my clothes, though."

Chloe just raised her eyebrows at that response, and Max realized too late that her attempt to be kind had backfired.

"Oh, shit, I mean -," Max started, trying to backpedal, feeling the heat rising to her face, but Chloe just laughed, her cheeks slightly pink as well.

"Nah, I get it, you're, um, pretty cute too," Chloe chuckled. "And I guess there are worse places to do a walk of shame from."

"Oh, um, yeah," Max said, flustered.  _Wow, Max. Way to be a weirdo…_

"But thanks, like I really mean it," Chloe said, turning slightly serious. She leaned slightly to look out the window, and a beat later the both of them heard the short blare of a car horn. "Well, I should get going," she smiled at Max before opening the front door.

Pausing for a second, Max made the decision to scrawl her number and address down on a piece of paper. As Chloe was walking to the cab, Max hurriedly ran out and placed the paper in Chloe's hand.

"Just in case you forget where I live or something," Max said quickly to Chloe's questioning look, praying that Chloe didn't think she looked desperate. Chloe just nodded and gave a simple thanks.

After that, Chloe headed off and Max returned to the backyard, kneeling down in the remains of her garden and picking up a few shredded vines and crushed berries in her hand. Focused on the matter at hand, Max bit her lip as she thought about the pros and cons of living next to a forest.  _Guess a bear got hungry last night. I'm glad Chloe managed to avoid it though._

She stood up and looked at the colossal damage to her back , she pulled out her phone and called up Kate and Warren - she'd need help to repair the damage, and though manual labor wasn't exactly on her list of things to do on a Saturday morning, she preferred to be safe rather than sorry.  _Another bear might show up and I'd rather not get mauled any time soon._

* * *

Chloe returned the clothes and blanket a few days later, but Max was unnerved at Chloe's appearance - she looked even more tired than before. Her face was pale, gaunt almost, and her clothes hung loosely around her thin frame - and when Max asked if she was okay, Chloe lightly brushed her concerns off and left, leaving behind her number and a few bills with Max in return.

Though Max considered texting Chloe a few times to ask how she was holding up, she felt uncertain that Chloe wanted the concern of a total stranger.  _She'll...be fine. I hope..._

The rest of the week, Max spent re-planting her garden with the help of Kate, and occasionally, Warren. Most of the plants had been shredded to pieces - and she noticed that most of the shrubs that had had something edible, like berries or fruit, were the most viciously attacked. Kate and Warren had balked at the destruction of her fence; neither had heard of the local bears going that far for a bite to eat.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to redo your garden, Max?" Kate asked tentatively as Max stood up, taking off her gardening gloves and wiping her brow with her arm.

"Yeah, like, what if Bigfoot comes and totally busts into your house?" Warren added, picking up a water bottle and taking a few gulps.

"We're not gonna plant as many things as I did before," Max panted as she put her hands on her hips, looking down at their hard work. "And I mean, lightning never strikes the same place twice, right?"

"A giant bear isn't lightning, Max," Warren said solemnly, but all he got was a playful shove in response.

* * *

It was some time later when Max woke up again on a bright and sunny Saturday morning.

And it was again that Max went outside to find Chloe naked and unconscious in the middle of her destroyed garden.

Her first reaction was anguish, and then disbelief, and then reluctant acceptance as she repeated the process of throwing a blanket onto Chloe and waking her up. Clearly, fate had plans in store for her - and Max wondered just  _why_  it had decided to wreck up her fence and garden in the process.

Chloe seemed even more embarrassed than before - she kept apologizing, offering things to make up her for naked appearance - but Max's response, again, was to ask if she was okay.

Because if Chloe had looked bad the first time Max had seen her, her appearance now was beyond that - her expression was haggard and drawn, the bags under her eyes almost seemingly permanent, her body unnaturally thin and worn.

"Chloe, seriously, what's happening to you?" Max asked, reaching a hand up to pick a leaf out of Chloe's dirtied, blue locks.

She went still at the movement, and Max saw her swallow before answering. "It's nothing, just, you know, partying too hard," she tried to joke, but Max shook her head.

"I'm serious, Chloe, you look like you haven't eaten in days. You need to have a good breakfast before you go," she said firmly, and though Chloe hesitated, Max could see the hunger in her eyes.

"Alright, but, I'll pay you back for the food," Chloe said finally, but Max just handed her some clothes and pushed her into the bathroom.

"You can pay me back by taking care of yourself," she said under her breath as she shut the door.

As Chloe changed in the bathroom, Max opened her refrigerator, wondering what she'd make for breakfast that day. After a moment of consideration, she pulled out a few eggs and a tightly sealed bag of bacon -  _this should be enough for the two of us._

She turned, pulled a pan out of a cabinet, and placed it on the stove. She'd barely opened the bag to the bacon when she heard Chloe's voice next to her ear, "Is that  _bacon?_ "

" _Holy_  shit," startled, Max jerked away, placing a hand over her pounding heart as she turned to see Chloe close to her elbow, her eyes staring intently at the bag of bacon in her hand. She hadn't heard Chloe leave the bathroom - nor had she heard Chloe suddenly appear right behind her.  _Jesus Christ, Chloe scared the shit out of me._

"Yeah, it's bacon," she said after she managed to calm herself a little. She took a strip out - and out of the corner of her eye, saw Chloe's expression suddenly turn intense and focused, her eyes fixated on the strip of bacon in her hand.

Max slowly placed the piece of bacon on the pan and felt Chloe's breath on the back of her neck.

"Chloe, can you, like, give me a little space here?" Max asked, unnerved at Chloe's extreme closeness.

"Oh, uh, yeah, yeah," Chloe said, blinking and taking a step away.

She put down two more strips but noticed that Chloe had returned to stand closely to her side, her eyes still trained on the bacon in the pan.  _I guess she's really hungry for bacon…_

"Hey, since you like bacon so much, can you take care of it while I start the eggs?" Max asked, shifting away slightly; their arms brushed, and as Max looked up to see Chloe's intense gaze fixed on her, she felt the heat rise to her face.

"Yeah, sure," Chloe said, sounding far away as she turned the stove on.

Max pulled a bowl from a cabinet and began to go through the process of making scrambled eggs; behind her, she heard the soft sizzle of the bacon as the stove began to heat up. She didn't notice as she placed the finished mixture of eggs on the counter that the sizzling had stopped...

And it was only when she'd taken out another pan and turned to place it on the stove as well that she found the original bacon pan...empty. Brow furrowed in confusion, Max looked over at the bacon bag - only to see it was empty as well.  _Wait a minute…_

"Chloe…" Max started, and she slowly turned her head to see Chloe standing in front of the stove, her mouth full. "Chloe, did you just," she swallowed, trying to figure out how Chloe had eaten  _all_  the bacon, the half-cooked and raw strips, in less than five minutes, "Did you just...eat all the bacon?"

The two just stared at each other, with Chloe slowly chewing and swallowing every few seconds.

After Chloe managed to clear her mouth, she finally said, just staring wide-eyed at the disbelief in Max's face, "Um...no?"

" _Chloe_."

Nervously clasping her hands in front of her, Chloe looked anywhere but Max as she fidgeted underneath Max's gaze. "Uh, I just, I saw the bacon, and I like, I got hungry - "

" _Okay_ , how 'bout you just sit at the table and I'll make the eggs," Max said abruptly, still trying to figure out how Chloe had managed the incredible feat of cramming just  _that_  many pieces of bacon in her mouth.

Chloe nodded fervently, eager to get back on Max's good side. She sat down at the table, but watched Max as she made two plates of scrambled eggs for them both.

As Max came over to the table and set the plates down, she said, "Oh, forgot the forks."

In the ten steps it took to get to the kitchen, grab two forks, and walk back to the table, she found both plates wiped clean and Chloe's mouth covered in pieces of scrambled egg.

_Are...are you...are you serious…_

Max just stood there, staring at the two plates on the table, while Chloe reached up an arm and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, her eyes darting from Max's blank expression to the plates on the table.

"Uh, I can explain," Chloe started.

"I'm...I'm just going to have some cereal," Max said after a moment, returning to the kitchen and numbly getting herself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  _I...can't believe…_

She heard Chloe's light footsteps enter the kitchen and saw Chloe stop and stand next to her in the corner of her eye. Turning to ask if Chloe wanted more food, she was startled when Chloe reached her arms out and wrapped them around her.

"I'm sorry for eating all your food," Chloe said softly. "But I'm really grateful for everything."

Max took a moment to notice, as her face was pressed into Chloe's shoulder, that Chloe smelled a lot like the forest - like pine trees, like the scent of the air after a long day of rain.

Hesitantly putting her arms around Chloe as well, she mumbled, "It's fine...But, do you want more food?"

Chloe pulled away, looking sheepish. "Can I have more food?"

The two of them spent the morning cooking a few more things - all of which Chloe eagerly consumed. Though they were quickly depleting what stores of food she had in her kitchen, Max felt relieved that Chloe was eating at all; she still looked abnormally thin, her face unnaturally gaunt despite her youthful energy.

"But Chloe, seriously, what happened to you last night?" Max asked as she prepared another batch of scrambled eggs.

After Chloe managed to swallow down the waffle she'd been practically inhaling, she took a moment to answer, not meeting Max's eye. "I've just been having a rough couple of nights," she said quietly.

"Are - "

"I'm fine, Max, don't worry about me," Chloe said firmly, and Max could tell that she wanted to drop the subject. Though Max wanted to press the issue further - she wasn't sure if it was out of concern or curiosity - she respectfully turned the conversation towards other things.

As time passed them by and Chloe consumed a majority of the meals they made, Max got to know a bit more about her.

"Your tattoo is really cool," Max said off-handedly as she put several slices of cheese on a slice of bread before placing it in the toaster oven.

Chloe rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, and she sounded a little proud when she said, "I know right? It's totally badass."

"Why'd you get it?"

Chloe paused before answering. "I just...I dunno, it's hard to explain."

"I'm here all day," Max replied. In her mind, she added,  _cooking for you._   _But at least she seems to like everything I'm making._

Chloe leaned against the counter, the flat of palms against the edge, her nails tapping against the surface of the side. "My life's...always been a little rough," she said slowly, as if trying to pick her words carefully, "I wanted to have something that would always be, like, I dunno,  _pretty_ , no matter what. Something that I could look back on - or I guess, look at - and not regret."

Max had to turn away for a moment, pretending to check if she'd burnt Chloe's next grilled cheese as she tried to form a response. Her heart had twinged painfully at the way Chloe had said ' _not regret_.' Her thoughts wandered to Chloe's skeletal frame, to her weary face, and she so badly wanted to ask what kind of life Chloe was living to cause her to look ten years older.

Chloe's voice, suddenly so close behind her, said eagerly, "I think the grilled cheese is done."

Relieved at finding an excuse to not answer Chloe's heartfelt reasoning for her tattoo, Max carefully took out the grilled cheese and placed it on a plate for Chloe, who excitedly wolfed it down once it cooled down enough.

Once Chloe finished that and finished chugging down the glass of water Max handed to her, she asked, "What are you gonna do about your garden? Why do you have one, anyway? I thought old people did that shit."

Rolling her eyes, Max began washing some of the dishes in the sink. "I'll probably call my friends to help me plant some things again. I'm not gonna give up on it," she said determinedly. "Maybe I'll set up some small fence thing around it," she continued, scrubbing a plate.

"You sure that's gonna stop whatever animal thing is fucking your shit up?" Chloe asked - Max noticed how she sounded a little...nervous? Anxious? Max couldn't pinpoint the strange edge to Chloe's voice, but she brushed it off.

"I hope so. I like gardening," Max said, remembering what Chloe had said earlier. "I guess when I started living on my own, I kinda wanted to prove that I could take care of something, make it come to life, by myself."

She paused for a moment, watching the water from the faucet run over the plate in her hand. "And it's just...nice to know that something depends on me, and I take care of it so well that it blooms, you know?" she said softly.

After a beat, Chloe answered back quietly, "Yeah, I know."

Once Max finished cleaning the dishes, Chloe helped her out by putting them back in the cabinets, and the two of them continued talking about more lighter subjects, like their daily lives and favorite hobbies.

"Alright, I've been here long enough. I should get going," Chloe said.

Max handed her money for another cab, and as the two waited for Chloe's ride to arrive, Max tugged on Chloe's sleeve.

"Hey, promise me you'll take care of yourself now, okay?" Max said, looking Chloe in the eye.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," Chloe said lightly, but Max got the feeling that Chloe was lying; she didn't press the issue though as the two of them saw the cab pull up.

"Thanks, Max. I'll pay you back and stuff," Chloe said as she stood in the doorway, but Max was shaking her head before she finished.

"Don't worry about it. See you, Chloe."

Once Chloe was gone, Max couldn't help but notice how empty the house seemed to feel, and she shook her head.  _Chloe will be fine. She'll be fine._

She headed back out into the backyard, surveying the remains of her garden. Sighing, Max pulled out her phone again, already picturing Kate's and Warren's reactions.

* * *

After her second meeting with Chloe, Max made a concerted effort to make sure Chloe was taking care of herself. Often the two would meet up at local diners or cafés across town, where Max would treat Chloe to food - because each time Max met her new friend, Chloe would look worse and worse. The bags underneath her eyes seemed permanent, and the way her clothes hung loosely around her body now - it was like she was nothing but skin and bones. Her clothes were another matter as well; they looked mangy, ragged, and dirty, like she hadn't washed them in weeks. It pained Max's heart to see that Chloe was suffering from  _something_.

"Are you sleeping at all, Chloe?" Max asked one day as the two waited in line at a coffee shop.

"I've just had a rough couple of nights," Chloe echoed, sounding weary and tired.

Without thinking, Max reached down and held Chloe's bony hand in hers. "I hope things get better," she said softly.

"They are," Chloe said in response, and Max looked up to see Chloe giving her a small smile, causing her heart to flutter in her chest.

The more times they met up, the more times Max noticed Chloe dodging her questions about her well-being. It came to the point that Max felt like she had to give Chloe an ultimatum.

"Chloe," she said one day, watching Chloe vigorously wolf down several pancakes and pieces of bacon, "You need to tell me what's happening to you because you look like total shit."

Pausing for a moment and swallowing her mouthful of pancake, Chloe started, "I'm f-"

"No, you're  _not_  fine, Chloe. You look like you barely sleep, or eat, and sometimes you smell like a garbage truck," Max interrupted. "You promised me you'd take care of yourself but - "

"Don't you think I fucking know that?" Chloe snapped, and Max flinched at her harsh tone. "I said I'm fine, and you're not my fucking mother, so stop your crying over me," she hissed.

Max looked away before mumbling, "Sorry." She threw a twenty on the table before getting up out of the booth, trying to ignore the pain in her chest. "You can take care of yourself, I got it," she muttered, and she began to make her way out of the diner.

"Wait,  _shit_ , Max, I didn't mean -," Chloe started, throwing down her fork and leaving her leftovers behind before she quickly got up and followed after Max.

Max managed to make it outside before she felt Chloe's hand close around her own.

"Max, I'm  _sorry_ , I didn't mean that," Chloe said quickly, moving to stand in front of her. "I just - I didn't mean that."

"Then what  _do_ you mean, Chloe? Tell me what's happening to you," Max said, a hint of desperation to her voice as she looked up into Chloe's face.

Chloe opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it, shaking her head. "I…I can't explain it, Max."

"Chloe - "

Chloe pulled away, taking her hand away from Max's as she looked off into the distance. "I just...I'll tell you someday, okay? Just...I can't do it right now."

Though Max wanted nothing more than to know what was destroying Chloe from the inside out, she bit her lip and nodded.

* * *

In between her visits with Chloe, Max got back to working on her garden; this time, however, she had a plan in mind on how to tackle whatever mysterious animal was attacking her garden.

Once she got her garden back in shape with a small barbed wire fence around it, Max decided to do a stakeout and figure out why Bigfoot was targeting her plants.

Then, one night, Max camped out in her living room, reading a book in the light of a small lamp, occasionally getting up to look out at her garden.

Midnight.  _No sign of Bigfoot. Guess I'll wait a little more._

1 AM.  _Garden still in good shape. Commence...more waiting._

2 AM.  _Bored. Wish I could sleep. Maybe Bigfoot isn't coming._

3 AM. Max was starting to think whatever animal, or animals, that enjoyed raiding her garden wasn't going to show up. Putting her book down and shutting off the lamp, Max started to head back to her room when she heard the sound of cracking wood outside.

Heart suddenly pounding loudly in her chest, Max slowly made her way to the window.

Only to immediately recoil and duck beneath it, her breath caught in her throat.

Slowly peeking up over the edge, Max put a hand over her mouth as she looked at the gigantic... _Dog? Wolf? Bear? Dog-bear? I don't even know what it is!_

Outside, the huge beast had already plowed down her fence and was sniffing around her backyard. In the light of the full moon above, Max saw the color of the animal's fur - dirty blonde. Its paws were gigantic, and she noticed how it seemed to have thumbs, like hands.

Slowly taking her phone out from her pocket, Max tried calling Warren.

No answer.  _Damn it._

She called Kate - she kept her eyes trained on the gigantic wolf thing, who'd paused at the wire fence around the garden - and Kate thankfully answered on the second ring.

" _Max? It's 3 AM_ ," Kate said tiredly.

" _Holy shit_ , Kate," Max breathed, watching the wolf sniff tentatively at the wire fence. "Kate,  _Kate_ , there's something in my garden."

Suddenly, Kate's voice became a little more alert. " _Is it a bear?_ "

"Holy crap, Kate, it's not a bear, it's like this giant wolf thing," Max whispered.

" _You mean a wolf?_ " Kate asked, confused.

"No, it's like this, wolf thing - it has like, hand paws and it's gigantic," Max said, and she ducked beneath her window as the wolf turned its head towards the house.

" _Max, I don't understand."_

"I dunno what I'm looking at! It's just not a dog, but it's not a bear, but it's like both?" Max continued, peeking up over the edge again - and she almost passed out as she saw the beast stand on its hind legs, almost like a human, and casually step over the wire fence before dropping back down to all fours.

"Oh my god, it just stepped over the fence," Max said, her eyes wide as she watched it paw at several of the berries on a shrub.

" _Stepped over? Are you sure this isn't just some person in a dog suit?"_  Kate asked, sounding weary.

"Kate, I'm serious, this dog-bear thing is real," Max said, lowering herself back underneath the window again.

" _Max, you probably need to sleep_."

"Kate, no, I'm - "

" _Get some sleep, Max, and we can talk tomorrow,_ " Kate said, and Max swore under her breath when she heard the end tone.  _Dammit Kate, I'm serious!_

She glared at the phone in her hand for a moment, gripping it tightly as she tried to figure out a way to scare the animal away.  _Backyard light? Maybe that'll startle it._

Hand shaking as she hovered her fingers of the switch, Max prayed that the bear-dog wouldn't bolt and smash through one of the windows of her house.  _Okay, you can do this, Max._

She flicked the switch on and saw the glow of her backyard light through the window.

Frozen for several seconds, Max heard nothing outside.  _Did...did it leave?_

Back pressed against the wall, she made her way to the window again, bracing herself for what she might see.

Max peeked around the edge.

The dog-bear was sitting right outside.

For five straight seconds, Max and the dog-bear looked at each other.

Its tail began wagging happily the moment it saw her, its mouth - covered in the smeared remains of several berries - opened into a strange grin, its fangs shining white in the glow of her backyard light.

" _Holy shit!_ " Max shrieked, jumping into the air, one hand placed over her heart as she tried to prevent herself from getting a premature heart attack. She stumbled as she tried to make her way across her living room, throwing herself behind her couch and grabbing her book, clenching it tightly in her shaking hand.

Though she knew that all that separated her and the beast was a fragile glass window, a soft couch, and her newfound book weapon, Max silently prayed that she could have the strength to fight it off should it decide to come inside and eat her.

 _Oh, god, oh god, it saw me, it totally saw me._  Pure, sheer panic ran through her veins, and Max had to control her breathing as she tried not to hyperventilate.

Shakily peeking up over the couch, Max saw that the dog-bear had come close to the window, its muzzle just inches away from the glass, its pointed ears lowered slightly - but the moment it saw her again, the dog-bear immediately perked up again, tail wagging and ears pointing straight, that same strange grin on its face.

_Is it...happy to see me?_

She ducked back behind the couch again; the moment she did, she heard a low whine from the animal outside, and then the sound of claws scratching against the window.  _Oh my Lord, please don't -_

Max quickly darted back up again, and the dog-bear lowered its paw from the window, resuming its happy expression again as it stared at her.  _Okay, okay, it likes seeing me._

Hand wrapped tightly around the book in her hand, Max slowly stood up, her eyes never leaving the animal just outside. She carefully made her way to the window, her entire body trembling as she gathered the courage to put her plan into action.

"Please go," she whispered.

The dog-bear closed its mouth, ears flattening against its head, looking almost...sad.

"Please, please go," Max repeated, and she raised a shaking finger to point at the hole in her fence. " _Go._ "

Another low, pitiful whine came from the animal as it lowered its head.

" _Please_ ," Max said again, cursing herself for how weak she sounded. "Please go."

The dog-bear looked up at her again, and Max swallowed as she looked into its eyes - a brilliant blue that only seemed to brighten in the backyard light. What startled Max was the intelligence she seemed to see within - but she also saw how forlorn, how dejected it looked as it stared back at her.

After a moment, it slowly got back up onto all fours, head lowered as it turned and padded across her backyard.

Relief washed over Max, and she clutched her chest as she pressed her other hand against the wall.  _That was close._

She looked back out the window to see that the dog-bear had paused by the hole in fence, head turned back towards the house - for a moment, they shared a look - before it turned away and headed back into the forests.

* * *

Naturally, when she tried to explain what she'd seen to her friends the next morning, both Warren and Kate were skeptical.

"So...basically, a giant wolf bear came into your backyard, walked over the wire fence, ate a ton of berries, and then came to the window, where you then told it to go away and it went away," Warren said deadpan.

"It's true!"

"Max, I think you just need to sleep and rest," Kate said, picking up her cup of tea and taking a sip.

"Guys, I'm totally serious - "

Their hangout ended when Warren and Kate had to get back to their normal lives, lives that didn't have some gigantic mysterious dog-bear.

* * *

Determined to prove the existence of the dog-bear, Max decided to do another stakeout for another night. She'd replanted the berries it'd eaten earlier, hoping that it was maybe attracted to the smell of food, and she didn't make an effort to repair her fence.

 _I'm practically inviting it back_ , Max thought as she washed the dishes from dinner in the sink.

She looked up out the window, noticing the dark clouds overhead, appearing darker and blacker as the sun set.  _But I wonder if it'll come back in a storm…_

Turning on the backyard light again, Max stood by the window, looking out at her garden. Above, she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, and a part of her hoped the dog-bear was going to be okay - in the forest just beyond the fence, Max could see the tops of trees swaying in the wind.

She turned off the backyard light before heading into her living room again, flipping on the light in there as well before settling down on the couch and picking up her book from last night.  _Time to wait it out._

She'd barely read ten pages when she heard a soft scratching at her back door.

At first, Max thought she'd imagined the sound and continued reading.

But she definitely knew she didn't imagine the low whine that came from outside, accompanied by a more frantic scratching at the back door.

Putting down her book and checking the time on her phone, Max swallowed.  _8 PM_. The dog-bear had come much earlier than last time.

As Max got up to look outside the window, she saw a flash of lightning - and then she heard the roar of thunder close by; the scratching at the back door became more frantic, the whines turning into panicked yelps.

Heart pounding in her chest, Max looked out the back window, pressing herself close to it so she could see the dog-bear crouched low in front of the door, ears pressed flat against its head, its entire body trembling.

 _The poor thing is terrified_. The fearful expression on the dog-bear's face - it tugged at Max's heartstrings, and she bit her lip, trying to consider her options.

She could leave it out there to weather the storm.

Or she could not be an asshole and bring the dog-bear inside.

Where it could totally eat her. Then it wouldn't matter if she was an asshole.

As Max pressed herself against the window, leaning her forehead against the cool glass as she tried to think, the dog-bear looked over and saw her; it quickly padded over, looking forlornly at Max through the glass.

_You need to help it, Max._

But hesitation still held her back - the thing was huge, its dirty blonde fur a tangled mess around its body, and she could still clearly recall its enormous fangs. Bringing it inside could mean either the destruction of her house, or her, or both.

The dog-bear must've sensed her uncertainty, because it reached a paw up and held it flat against the glass, opposite her own hand. Their eyes met for a moment, and Max reluctantly felt her resolve fade away as she stared back into those wretched blue eyes.

"Okay," she whispered, moving away from the window and towards her back door.  _Please don't eat me, please don't eat me._  She placed one hand on the doorknob, praying that this wouldn't be her last few moments on Earth.

She'd barely opened the door a crack when it suddenly came flying open, and the next thing Max knew, a gigantic, furry body collided into hers. As the both of them crashed into the floor, adrenaline shot through her heart heart, and she prepared for the worst -

Only to encounter the enthusiastic and happy licking of the dog-bear as it eagerly licked her face and arms.

" _Okay_ , okay, stop, no more licking," Max managed to say in between the dog-bear's eager licks across her face.  _Ugh, there's dog-bear spit all over me now._

The dog-bear pulled away, hovering over her on all fours, tail wagging so fiercely that it almost seemed a blur. Reaching her arms up and gripping tufts of its blonde fur, Max nudged it to the side before managing to stand up and close the back door.

Max turned around and swallowed; up-close, the thing was bigger than she'd imagined. On all fours, it came up halfway up Max's chest, and she shivered just thinking about how much bigger it would be if it stood on its hind legs.  _At least it seems friendly..._

It slowly took a step forward, watching her the entire time, before nudging its head beneath one of her hands.

Sighing, Max ran a hand over its tangled mess of fur, wondering just how it was that she'd somehow adopted the gigantic dog-bear that destroyed her garden almost every week.

"You really like attention, don't you," Max muttered as she continued petting it; it sat down, tail wagging, mouth open in that strange, bizarre grin.

Remembering the time, Max wondered if the dog-bear had eaten already, and she felt a chill run down her spine.  _If it's hungry, it might eat me._

"Do you want some food?" Max asked, and at the word 'food,' it immediately got on all fours, ears perked up, its expression eager and excited.

"Alright, alright, let's get you some food," Max said, heading towards the kitchen, the dog-bear right on her heels.

She paused in front of the refrigerator for a moment, wondering what she could feed it - she glanced down at her newfound animal companion, who looked back up at her, licking its lips.

 _Hope Chloe doesn't show up anytime soon._  Max pulled out two packs of bacon, placing them on the counter before turning around and pulling out a pan. As she placed it on the stove, the dog-bear sat down, staring intently at her as she opened one of the packs, carefully taking out several strips and placing them on the pan.

"Do you like bacon?" Max asked, and the dog-bear nodded fervently. Eyebrows raised, Max then asked, "Do you...understand everything I'm saying?"

It nodded again.

Perplexed at this new information, Max turned on the stove, brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what the dog-bear was.  _Mutant dog? Dog rolled around in radioactive waste?_   _Oh, man, I hope it's not like Nina from Fullmetal Alchemist…_

As Max watched the bacon start to sizzle in the pan, she felt the dog-bear press its muzzle close to her arm, its eyes fixed on the pan. There was something familiar in the way it stared so intently at the bacon...

"You and Chloe would get along well," Max said, reaching a hand out and gently patting its head. The dog-bear said nothing, instead closing its mouth and swallowing, before opening its jaws and panting as it gazed at the sizzling bacon.

"I should probably get you some water," Max muttered, turning towards the sink. She reached up and pulled a bowl out of a cabinet before filling it with water from the faucet, glancing up when a flash of lightning briefly illuminated her front yard. A beat later, the rumble of thunder arrived, along with a downpour of rain - she watched the raindrops pelt the glass of the window for a moment, relieved that she'd managed to get the dog-bear inside on time.

Just as Max turned to put the bowl of water down in front of the dog-bear, she looked at the empty pan on the stove. Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Max glanced over at where the open bag of bacon used to be - only to find it gone.

She looked down to see the dog-bear lying on the floor, happily licking its mouth, the empty bag of bacon in front of it. The dog-bear began wagging its tail happily as Max just looked from the empty pan, to the bag, and then to the dog-bear.

"You...ate the bacon off the pan?" Max asked in a daze. "And then you...ate the bacon in the bag."

Its response was to give a single, joyful bark.  _I guess that means 'yes, Max, I totally just ate all the bacon.'_

"Alright, Bacon Destroyer, you can have the rest of it," Max muttered, crouching down and putting the bowl of water in front of the dog-bear.  _Hm. Bacon Destroyer…_

"Do you have a name?" Max asked.

Its response was to glance up for a second, licking its lips, before returning to lapping up the water in its bowl, splashing water all over the floor.

"Well, until I can figure out a better name, I'm calling you Bacon," Max said, standing up and reaching out for the second bag of bacon on the counter.

Bacon just stared intently at the bag in her hand.

She took out a plate from a cabinet and quickly emptied the contents of the bacon bag onto it before setting the plate down in front of Bacon, who reacted with an excited bark.

For a moment, she watched Bacon tear into its second meal, its fangs flashing as it chewed at the raw meat. Sighing, Max leaned against the counter, putting her face in her hands as she tried to think of what to do after the storm.

She could keep Bacon. But then what? Animal control, or the government, or her neighbors would eventually find it...and she felt a chill run down her spine as she tried not to think of what the authorities would do to the poor animal.

She could let Bacon back out, tell it to go away again. But even if she did that, a part of her had the feeling Bacon would continue coming back - and now that'd she'd brought it into her home and fed it, it most likely  _would_  come back in hopes of finding food and shelter again.

_What do I do? I mean, I've always wanted a dog...but this is some kind of weird, sentient mutant dog. How am I supposed to -_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something nudge her arm; taking her hands away from her face, she saw Bacon sitting next to her, its muzzle close to her elbow as it looked at her with its knowing blue eyes.

"What do I do with you?" Max whispered, half-expecting Bacon to give her an answer.

It just gave a low whine in response, licking her elbow a few times before it gently placed its head against her stomach. Max reached up and scratched it behind its ears, noticing the soft rumbling that from within its chest.

"Happy now?" Max chuckled. She gently nudged Bacon away, picking up the bowl and plate on the floor and placing them in the sink.

Then she headed for her living room and sat down on the couch, picking up her discarded book. Bacon followed close behind, sitting on the floor in front of her, watching her as she laid down.

"Stay," Max said. It gave a single nod in response.

Max checked her phone again, noting that it was still a little too early to go to bed. She held her book in her hand for a moment, gazing outside the window, watching the water from the sky pour down the glass. A rumble of thunder came from the distance, and she turned her head to see Bacon looking outside the window as well.

"You're safe inside here," Max said softly, and Bacon turned to her, tail wagging as it leaned its head forward and licked her arm.

Content knowing that Bacon looked satisfied with how the night was going, Max turned her attention to her book and began reading.

She'd barely read two pages when Bacon gave a low whine.

Glancing at her companion, Max asked, "What?"

But Bacon's reaction was to resume its signature happy expression, mouth open in its toothful grin as it wagged its tail.

 _Okay..._ Max went back to reading.

This time, she'd barely gotten past three sentences when Bacon gave another whine.

" _What_ , Bacon?" Max asked, lowering her book to her chest as she turned her head to look at her dog-bear.

Bacon just gave a happy bark in response, ears perked up and tail swishing across the floor as it looked at her.

"Bacon, I'm trying to read," Max huffed, lifting her book back up.

A paw came up and swatted the book out of her hand and onto her sternum, its pages crumpling against her chest.

" _Oh my god_ ," Max hissed, sitting up and taking her book and slightly aggressively smoothing out its pages with one hand. She turned her head to see Bacon looking as happy as ever, and it had the gall to give a cheerful woof.

Scowling, Max said irritably, "Okay, I get it. You want me to pay attention to you, but  _seriously_ , Bacon? You fuck up my garden like, almost every week." Her voice became louder as she continued, "And then you know what? I let you into my house, let you eat my food, let you  _stay_  here, and this is how you treat me."

By the end of her tirade, Bacon had its ears pressed flat against its head, head lowered in shame.

Turning away and gritting her teeth, Max gripped the book in her hand before standing up.

"You can stay out here, by yourself. I'm going to my room," she muttered, and she began walking to her room - but Bacon got up as well, right on her heels.

Wheeling around and pointing a finger at the ground, Max harshly commanded, " _Stay_."

Max's heart twinged painfully in her chest as she saw Bacon flinch, tail between its legs and its ears flattened against its lowered head as it gave a whimper; Bacon sat down right on the spot, not looking at Max as it tried to look as small as possible.

Turning away before she could change her mind, Max went straight to her room and closed the door before taking a deep breath.  _I have to let Bacon know who's boss, though. And I left the living room light on...Bacon should be fine out there._

She headed to her bed, lying down in it and switching on the lamp on her nightstand before lifting her book back up again and resuming her reading.  _I'm gonna hope that Bacon doesn't destroy my furniture_.

After managing to get through several chapters in relative peace, with the occasional burst of thunder outside and the flash of lightning from the window, Max glanced at her door. Bacon's silence was a little unnerving, and she considered getting up to go check on her new dog when an explosion of thunder seemed to shake the very walls of her house - and a split second later, the light in her lamp went out.

She saw the light from underneath the door go dark as well, and she swore.  _Great. A power outage._

Max had barely taken a step towards her closet to fish around for some candles when she heard frantic whimpering and clawing at her door.

"Hold on, Bacon," Max called, using the light of her phone to quickly find a few matches and a candle in her closet. Bacon's panic only seemed to heighten with each passing second, and Max began to hear the wood of her door splintering.

" _Bacon_ , I'm coming," Max said a little louder, her own heart pounding in her chest as she fumbled at striking a match and lighting the candle. Bacon's whining turned into a fearful yowl as she heard another loud crash of thunder outside; gritting her teeth, Max quickly placed the candle on her nightstand before using her phone's light to head to her door.

The second she opened it, Bacon tackled her to the ground, before completely dropping its body and lying on top of her.

"Bacon," Max huffed, trying not to think about her crushed lungs, "Can't breathe. Off."

Bacon just gave a low whine, its head close to her own; Max managed to turn her head enough to see Bacon's terrified expression. Normally, something like this would've been comedic - a giant dog-bear looking to  _her_  of all things for comfort - but Max didn't enjoy the thought of dying by suffocation.

"It's okay, Bacon," Max said breathlessly, grabbing a fistful of Bacon's blonde fur in one hand before trying to push the gigantic animal off of her.

After a few seconds of pointless pushing on Max's part, Bacon finally got up on all fours above her, lowering its muzzle to lick at her face again.

"Okay, okay," Max panted, trying to catch her breath as she got up, phone gripped in one hand. "You can stay with me," she said, reaching a hand out to scratch Bacon behind the ears.

Bacon just affectionately nuzzled her side, tail wagging in contentment.

She went and closed the door to her room, using her phone's light and the warm glow from the candle to dig around for some blankets in her closet. She spread them out on the ground next to her bed while Bacon hovered close to her side, curiously eyeing Max's movements as she smoothed out the corners of the sheets on the floor.

Max stood up and pointed at the blankets on the ground. "You sleep here, Bacon."

Bacon stared at her for a moment, expressionless, before turning and hopping up onto her bed.

"Bacon,  _no_ , that's -," Max started, but she just let out an exasperated sigh before returning to her closet and taking out a spare pillow.

"Fine, you can have my bed, I'll take the ground," she muttered. She threw the pillow alongside the blankets on the floor before going to her bathroom, using the light of her phone to quickly brush her teeth.

Once she returned, she still found Bacon lying on her bed, its tail swishing slowly across the covers as it gazed at her. Maybe it was just the bright white light of her phone, but Max felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the animal on her bed - for it seemed to be anything  _but_  an animal. Something about Bacon struck her as... _human_.

And it wasn't just its bizarre hand paws and ability to understand human speech; it was the way that it looked at her, the way it seemed to know and feel more than she could predict...

She blew out the candle on her nightstand, leaving them in darkness; then Max laid down on the ground, turning off her phone's light and placing it next to her before pulling up a blanket over herself. As she listened to the rain patter on her window and roof, and farther off, the rumbles of thunder in the distance, Max wondered just what kind of future she'd brought upon herself...

But as Max rolled onto her side, facing away from her bed, she heard the creak of the mattress and then a soft  _thump_  as Bacon dropped to the floor.

Perplexed, Max tried to roll over but felt Bacon lie down behind her, one side of its body pressing into her back and its nose sniffing at her neck and hair.

"Bacon, you gotta decide between my bed or the floor," Max whispered, shifting uncomfortably away from Bacon's closeness; but Bacon just mimicked her movement, letting out a low whine.

"Look, you take the floor then since I'm taking up all your space," Max grumbled, getting up and walking around Bacon to get onto her bed.  _Great...Probably dog-bear fur everywhere._

But just as she laid down on it and rolled onto her side, facing away from Bacon's makeshift bed, she felt the mattress sink slightly behind her and the presence of a warm, furry body press into her back.

Putting her face into her hands and slowly breathing in and out, Max tried to pull herself together.

"Okay, you want to sleep with me," Max whispered; in response, she got a lick to her cheek. Too tired to fight back and knowing that her resolve was fading away, Max sighed.  _Bacon's a lot more work than I thought...I'll figure out long term stuff tomorrow morning…_

And with that, Max closed her eyes and fell asleep to the soft rhythmic breathing of her new companion and the quiet sound of rain.

* * *

Max awoke the next day from the glow of the morning light peeking through the slats of the window shutters; the soft golden light of dawn made her relieved that the storm had passed. She laid there on her side for a moment, just enjoying the peace and serenity that came with the new, beautiful day.

Then everything from last night came rushing to the front of her mind.

Turning slightly, Max rolled her eyes at Bacon lying next to her, tongue lolling out as it occasionally twitched in its sleep.

_Looks like you slept well, Bacon._

Carefully getting up from the bed and quietly making her way to her bathroom, Max switched on the light -  _good, power's back_ \- before internally groaning at the excessive amount of blonde fur sticking to her clothes.

She quietly went through the usual movements of her morning routine, wondering what she'd do with Bacon now.

First, she thought about getting a collar - but Bacon was so gigantic, she doubted she'd even find a collar its size. Then she couldn't even imagine trying to put it on Bacon.  _Wild animals probably don't take kindly to collars and leashes._

As Max stepped out of the shower and dried her hair, she thought about trying to research what Bacon was; dog-bears had to have existed at some point in history, right?

Once she was done making herself ready for the day, Max stepped out of the bathroom to see Bacon still sleeping. She paused by the bedside for a moment, wondering how she'd manage to survive last night - not only did Bacon take up a majority of the bed, but the numerous teeth that lined its open jaws unnerved her a little.

_Right. Bacon will probably want food when it wakes up._

But when Max headed to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of sausages and began heating them up on a pan, she was given about five seconds warning of Bacon's impending arrival.

First, the fast patter of footsteps.  _Oh, sh-_

Then, the loud, excited barking.  _-it_!

Before she could even begin to feel regret for her decision, Bacon came barreling into the kitchen, tackling her again and knocking her to the ground before vigorously licking her face in between eager barks and woofs.

"Okay, okay, chill," Max said breathlessly, getting up off the ground and wiping at her face with a bit of her shirt. "Can you like, not tackle me to the ground every time you get hyped up?"

Bacon wagged its tail even more furiously, looking up at her with the most happiest expression she'd ever seen on a dog. Or dog-bear.

This time, Max kept a careful eye on the sausages and on Bacon as it sat next to her, occasionally letting out a low whine and nudge with its muzzle as Max took her time preparing breakfast for her new companion.  _I need to do some research on what dogs can eat. Or should I research what bears can eat? Maybe both is a good idea._

Shaking her head, Max set down the plate of sausages for Bacon, who eagerly dug in, before grabbing a bowl of cereal for herself.

As she watched Bacon quickly chow down on its food, Max contemplated what she could do with Bacon now.

"Bacon," Max started, and her dog looked up at her, licking its lips, "Do you want to stay with me?"

Bacon's excited barking and intense tail wagging was more than enough of an answer, and Max laughed as she saw Bacon rapidly nod, mouth open in its comedic grin. It took a step forward and nuzzled Max's belly, and Max laughed as she scratched Bacon behind the ears.

"I'm glad you're happy," Max murmured.

* * *

And that's how Max started her new life with a dog-bear.

That day, Max put Bacon outside in the backyard before heading out to buy groceries. Though Bacon looked disappointed at her leaving, its ears did perk up when she told it that she'd be heading out to grab food. Max wondered aloud if Bacon would like dog food; Bacon's response was a vigorous shaking of its head.

While she was out running errands, she did head to a local pet shop. After trying to dodge numerous questions about what kind of dog she had, she managed to secure an extra large collar and a thick, sturdy leash. Though Max could barely imagine walking Bacon out in public, let alone putting the leash on Bacon, Max resolved to at least put a collar on it.  _Gotta have some sense of normalcy in my life, right?_

When she got back home and put up all of her things in the kitchen, she headed out into her frontyard to check on Bacon - only to find the yard empty. She glanced at the hole in her fence, gazing for a moment at the forest behind it.

_Guess Bacon took a trip to the wild for a bit._

Max bit her lip, momentarily worried; she shook her head as she headed back inside the house.  _Bacon can take care of itself._

Bacon returned within an hour, pawing at the back door until Max opened it.

"Hey, glad you're back," Max said, holding up the brand new collar. "Look, I need you to hold still so I can put this on you."

Bacon stared at her, expression blank.

For a split second, the two looked at each other.

"Bacon - "

Bacon bolted.

And that's how Max spent most of her afternoon chasing a gigantic dog around her house.

* * *

Max managed to reach a compromise with Bacon after breathlessly shouting that Bacon wouldn't get any food for a week if it continued to avoid the collar. Though Bacon protested this by an excessive amount of whining, and lying down in any place that got in Max's way, the two finally achieved a sense of peace once Max delivered on the food and treats.

Life after that seemed to continue on on a somewhat normal level.

During the week, before she headed off to work, she'd put Bacon outside, ignoring Bacon's whimpers and whines.

"Look, if you hadn't pulled that shit with the collar, this wouldn't be happening," Max said firmly as she shut the backdoor.

Bacon threw itself on the ground, irritated. Nonetheless, Bacon got excited when she returned back home, barking and wagging its tail happily.

One thing she realized over the course of her first week with Bacon was that taking care of a dog-bear and taking care of her plants were similar, in their own way.

Like they both required a  _lot_  of attention.

She'd come home from work each evening, opening the backdoor to be greeted with excited barking and eager licks on her face; then Bacon would usually follow her around the house as she went about her usual tasks, and Max noticed that her simple presence seemed to make Bacon happy. Its strange grin was always on its face when Max took the time scratch Bacon behind the ears, or to talk to it about her day.

Having something depend on her and look so joyful and cheerful everyday - it gave Max life.

But while her plants enjoyed being covered in the soft spray of water from a garden hose, Bacon did not.

"Bacon, come  _on_ ," Max said through gritted teeth, pulling as hard on the leash as she could.

Bacon lay immobile on the ground just inside the backdoor, jaw set as it stubbornly refused to move.

"We need to get you clean, you big ass," Max said under her breath; she gripped the leash tightly in her hand for another attempt to drag the animal outside.

After much straining and struggling on her part, she managed to move Bacon inch by inch into her backyard, and after a thorough process of bargaining with more food, Bacon finally acquiesced.

Then there was the matter of having a gigantic animal inside her small, humble home.

Max had come home from work one day, having been given a gift of flowers from her boss for doing a great job - she'd placed the bouquet on a vase on the coffee table in the living room, admiring it for several moments before going to bring Bacon inside.

After they'd had dinner, Max laid down on the couch, opening her book to read - Bacon had learned quick enough to give her peace and quiet when she was doing her own things, and it sat on the floor in between the coffee table and the couch, staring contemplatively out the window.

"Well, that was a good ending," Max said softly as she shut the book. She sat up, reaching a hand out to pet Bacon on the head. "Now that I'm done reading, what should we do now?"

Bacon perked up, tail immediately wagging into a blur - but Max only saw too late as Bacon's tail knocked against one of the legs of the coffee table, causing the vase to tip over and break, pieces of ceramic splaying across the table's surface.

"Dammit Bacon," Max said, frowning. "I liked that vase."

Bacon just looked from the broken vase, then to Max, then back to the vase, ears flat against its head.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're sorry," Max sighed, patting Bacon on the head before getting up to clean up the fragments.

* * *

The next day during work, Max got a text from Chloe to hang out over the weekend.

She woke up on Saturday morning to Bacon's barking. Once she got up, she found Bacon sitting by the backdoor, impatiently tapping one of its front paws as it waited for Max to open the door.

"You look like you have somewhere to go," Max said, and Bacon just rolled its eyes as Max opened the backdoor.

The second the door opened wide enough, Bacon darted out and through the back hole in the fence, disappearing among the forest trees.

_Well, guess I'll see you later then._

Max spent the morning tending to her garden before it was time to go meet up with Chloe.

The two met up at one of their usual diners, and Max was surprised to see Chloe almost bouncing with energy at the entrance, one hand behind her back.

"Max, Max, Max! You're here!" Chloe said excitedly, reaching forward to give a one-armed hug.

Laughing, Max pulled away slightly, looking up into Chloe's face - it was fuller, her cheeks rosier, the light in her eyes more energetic and brighter than Max had ever seen. "It's good to see you too. What's behind your back, Chloe?"

Grinning, Chloe revealed a bouquet of flowers.

"Got these for you," Chloe said, a hint of pride to her voice as Max gratefully reached forward and held the flowers in her hands.

"These are really pretty, Chloe," Max said, blushing slightly as she looked at the bright pink petals of the numerous azaleas.  _Aw, these flowers are so nice - but damn, too bad Bacon broke the only vase I had…_

Chloe noticed Max's pensive expression. "Something up, super Max?"

"Yeah, I just, my dog broke my vase," Max responded, biting her lip. "Oh, I never told you about my new dog, did I?"

There was a strange expression on Chloe's face - as if she knew something Max didn't.

"Uh, no, but why don't you tell me about it while we eat?" Chloe said, pausing for Max to put the flowers in her bag before guiding Max into the diner.

They spent their time eating breakfast and chatting about Max's new life with her surprise mutant dog. Unlike Warren and Kate, Chloe believed every word about Bacon, and Max was grateful.

"Do you...like your dog thing?" Chloe asked slowly, using the end of her sleeve to wipe bits of egg off her mouth.

"Of course I do," Max said, spearing a piece of sausage on the end of her fork. She paused before continuing, "But it's just...a lot of work."

Chloe stopped shoveling eggs into her mouth long enough to swallow and ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, the broken vase for one - " Max started, but Chloe quickly interrupted.

"I can get you another one."

"Chloe, you don't - "

"Please. Let me make up for the ten thousand breakfasts you've gotten me before," Chloe said firmly.

They both tried to stare each other down, but Max eventually sighed and returned to eating. "Alright, fine. But what I mean is that...I don't know, Bacon kind of reminds me of you. Like, you're both constantly as hungry as wolves - "

Chloe suddenly choked on the bacon she'd inhaled, and Max, alarmed, reached a hand forward to pat Chloe on the back as she cleared her throat.

"You okay?" Max asked hurriedly as Chloe drank several gulps of juice.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Chloe said a little breathlessly, putting her cup back on the table. "You, uh, were talking about Bacon?"

Max thoughtfully looked at the piece of pancake at the end of her fork. "It's just...Bacon's like this infinite vacuum, always eating everything. I just never realized how much it'd cost to feed a dog-bear," Max reflected. She looked up to see Chloe staring intently at the food on her plate, her brow furrowed.

"You okay, Chloe?"

"Um, yeah. I'm done eating."

Max raised an eyebrow, looking at Chloe's third plate of bacon and eggs. Normally her friend blew through six plates on her own…

"Alright," Max said, raising a hand and getting the bill. She was just about to throw down a few bills onto the table when Chloe's hand suddenly covered her own.

"I'll pay today," Chloe said, that same determined, fierce expression from before on her face.

"You're being really generous today," Max said, but she nonetheless put her cash back in her wallet. She watched Chloe spend a minute pulling every single bill she had from her pants pockets, her coat pockets, her inner coat pockets - after that, Chloe started dumping change on the table.

"Chloe, I can pay if you don't - "

"I have enough, Max, Jesus, just hold on a fucking second," Chloe muttered, throwing down a last, crumpled and dirtied bill. "There. Now let's go," she said, immediately perking up and getting out of the booth, grabbing Max's hand as the two exited the diner.

The two headed towards a local pottery shop, where Max picked out a simple vase; as the two headed to the counter, Chloe began digging around in her pockets again, grumbling swears and curses as she tried to find money on herself.

"Chloe, seriously, I can pay for this," Max said, handing a few bills to the cashier.

"No! No, Max, I can - "

Max just gave a look at the cashier, who nodded and gave her back her change.

"You paid for breakfast, Chloe," Max said softly, looking up at Chloe's dejected expression as she put her change away. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Chloe said, brow furrowed as she reached forward and squeezed Max's hand. "You do all this shit for me. I gotta...I gotta pay you back."

"You told me so yourself, Chloe, your life's been pretty rough," Max said, tugging on Chloe's hand, guiding her out of the shop. "I don't mind. I'm just glad you look better, and it makes me happy to see you happier," she added.

Chloe looked uncomfortable as she answered, "Yeah, I am happier," but the way she said it made Max think otherwise.

"Chloe, is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's fine - "

"You keep saying that, Chloe, but I don't believe it."

"Look, Max," Chloe said, gripping Max's hang tightly in her own as she turned to face her. "I promise. I'll tell you everything soon. Just, let's just hang out for today, okay? Like we always do?"

Though Max wanted to protest, she saw the anxiousness in Chloe's face, and her heart twinged painfully in her chest.

"Okay. I...I trust you, Chloe."

* * *

When Max returned that evening to her home, she placed the vase on the coffee table before putting Chloe's flowers within; she stood back for a moment, wondering if Chloe had chosen the azaleas for their beauty or if she'd chosen them for another reason…

Shaking her head, Max checked the time.  _Bacon's probably waiting for dinner._

But when she opened the back door, there was no Bacon in sight.

Max waited for a minute, and then tentatively called out Bacon's name. After a few minutes of no response, she headed to the hole in the fence, looking out into the trees ahead.

"Bacon?" Max called out again.

She waited for a few more minutes, but there was still no sign of her companion.

Max bit her lip, feeling anxiety building up inside her chest.  _Bacon...Bacon will be okay._

She walked back inside and made dinner by herself, noting how strange it felt to not have Bacon at her side.

It was late at night when she was preparing for bed that she heard the familiar pawing at the back door, and Max almost sprinted to open it - relief washed over her as she saw Bacon sitting outside.

"Geez, I was beginning to think you'd just disappeared," Max said, reaching a hand out to scratch Bacon behind the ears; Bacon's response was a lick of her arm before it got up and headed inside.

"Are you hungry?" Max asked - and for the first time ever in answer to that question, Bacon shook its head.

"You're not hungry," Max said, deadpan.

Bacon shook its head again; Max noticed the way that it looked at her, its blue eyes brimming with a kind of...awareness that made her blink and take a step back.

"Okay, well, if you're hungry just let me know, okay?"

Bacon nodded, and then headed to her room. Max followed soon after, noting Bacon's quietness. Usually Bacon barked with excitement when she appeared…

Another unusual thing struck her as odd when she saw Bacon lie down next to her bed, instead of hopping up onto it.

_Something's wrong._

"Bacon, what's wrong?" Max asked softly, sitting down next to Bacon, her back pressed against the side of her bed.

Bacon put her head in her lap, and Max instinctively reached her hand up to scratch behind its ears.

"You  _and_  Chloe today," Max muttered. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, with Max just ruffling the fur around Bacon's head.

"I'm worried about you two," she continued, and she saw Bacon's eyes look up at her. "I just...you're both so much alike."

Bacon said nothing.

"I think you'd like Chloe, though," Max said softly, pulling out her phone. "Because I know I like her."

Bacon went very still, but Max didn't notice as she looked at the texts between her and Chloe.

"I just wish she'd let me take care of her once in a while, you know?" Max whispered.

Bacon's eyes darted away, its ears flattening against its head.

Max sighed, gently easing Bacon's head away before getting up to switch off the light and settling into bed.

"I hope you're both okay. Just...let me know if something's wrong, okay Bacon?" Max asked, glancing up at the full moon she could see in between the shutters of her window.

Bacon gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

"You sure you don't wanna get on the bed?"

Max glanced over the edge to see Bacon curled up on the ground, eyes closed.

"Alright," she said under her breath, pulling the blanket up over her.

* * *

Max awoke the next morning to find Bacon gone. She got out of bed and headed into her living room, perplexed at Bacon's absence.

When she went to the back door however, her heart stopped in her chest - it was unlocked.

_Did Bacon get the door open?_

Swallowing and glancing around, Max prayed that no one had broken in; as she opened the back door, she was startled by the sight of Chloe sitting at the edge of her garden. Max recognized the tight, small clothes Chloe had on - they were  _hers_ , straight from her closet...

" _Chloe?"_

Chloe looked up at Max's shock, and she gave a small, nervous smile. "Mornin', Max."

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Max asked, taking a step outside and glancing around her backyard; there was still no sign of Bacon.

Chloe noticed, and she stood up, brushing the dirt off herself. "Looking for Bacon?"

There was a strange edge to Chloe's voice that Max couldn't quite identify, and she got the gut feeling that Chloe knew more than she was letting on.

"Yeah, I am," Max said carefully, closing the door behind her as she watched Chloe clasp her hands behind her head. "Chloe, what are you really here for?"

Chloe bit her lip and turned, looking unnaturally tense. "I promised I'd tell you the truth about what was happening to me, so...yeah," she finished, taking a deep breath.

"What is it?"

Chloe answered after a beat. "I'm Bacon."

The two of them stood there for several moments, staring at each other.

"Like...you...want to eat some bacon?" Max finally managed to say, both baffled and confused.

Chloe gave an exasperated huff. " _No_ , Max, like I'm actually your dog-bear. I  _am_  Bacon."

"Chloe, stop joking around," Max said, her brow furrowed in irritation. "I'm seriously worried about you - "

"I know you are, Max," Chloe said firmly. "Look, I'll prove I'm Bacon - last night, you said you  _liked_  me."

Max opened her mouth to shoot a retort, but stopped short. "Wait, how did you," Max said slowly, "How did you…"

"Because I'm Bacon, Max," Chloe repeated, taking a few tentative steps towards Max.

"Hold on for a moment," Max breathed, pressing a hand to her temple as she tried to put the pieces together. Chloe, here, wearing her clothes. The backdoor unlocked. Bacon, gone.

"Explain. Please," Max said, and Chloe - after a moment's hesitation - reached out and gently held onto Max's other hand.

"Let's go inside. You need to sit down."

Max did as she was told, turning around and opening the door. Chloe guided her to the couch, then went to the kitchen to grab Max a cup of water.

Max's mind made itself busy trying to put the pieces together. The similarities between Chloe and Bacon. The blue eyes. The neverending need to eat. The fact that she'd seen both in her garden…

Max had drawn her knees up to her chest and was staring at the azaleas in the vase on her coffee table when Chloe returned, placing the cup of water on the table before sitting down next to Max.

"You okay?" Chloe asked softly. "I can explain."

Max nodded, breathing in and out. "Just explain."

Chloe took a deep breath before launching into her story, looking carefully at Max the entire time.

The first time that Max and Chloe had met - Chloe believed she'd been bitten at the party the night before. All she remembered from that night was going to the beach for a bonfire party, making out with someone, and then the next thing she knew, she'd woken up in Max's garden, starving and exhausted.

At the beginning, Chloe blacked out whenever she turned - but she managed to notice that she turned anytime she barely had any self-control. Extreme tiredness, or intense emotions, like anger or rage or sadness or depression - she'd wolf out.

"I don't really remember the first few times I went into wolf-mode," Chloe said quietly. "I just...every time I woke up, I was super tired and it felt like someone hit me with a fucking sledgehammer."

Hearing Chloe talk about this seemed to do something to Max's nerves, and she pulled herself together - for Chloe's sake. She nodded, and Chloe went on.

Chloe then explained that she'd wolfed out at her apartment a few days before that- naturally, her landlord wasn't excited to find the place vandalized by claw marks and broken furniture, so she'd gotten the boot.

That'd only served to make Chloe's life even more difficult than before.

"I just...kind of started living in my truck," she said, crossing her arms. "I was too scared to find another place to live in case I fucked shit up there too, but," Chloe bit her lip, "I was always so tired that I could barely focus at my job. I fell asleep all the time - so I got kicked there too."

Pain twisted Max's heart, and she instinctively reached out to hold Chloe's hand, remembering how worn and drained Chloe had looked before.

"Why didn't you tell me? Chloe, I would've let you - "

"Max, you don't understand. You did so much for me, even when you didn't know me," Chloe interrupted. "I wanted...I wanted to try and deal with it by myself."

But dealing with it alone had proved more difficult than Chloe thought. She was running out of money, and meeting up with Max were quickly becoming the only times that she'd be able to eat food.

The only upside to the situation was that she'd turn into a wolf more often.

"The more I kept going wolf, the more I started getting a handle on it," Chloe said. "But I was turning a lot more because I just always felt like total shit."

It came to the point where she was almost always in wolf form, wandering the forests of Arcadia Bay at night as she tried to find a way to survive being homeless.

"It sucked even more when there was a full moon," Chloe muttered, brow furrowed as she recalled the low points of her life. "I could barely control myself. It's like I  _had_  to turn if there was a full moon."

Thinking back to the first night that she'd met Bacon, something twisted in Max's gut when she remembered she'd told Bacon to go away.

"It's not your fault, Max," Chloe sighed, sounding tired. "I came back to your house that night because...Well, I mean, me and wolf-me remembered that you always had food."

The next night - the night of the storm, Chloe had heard that the storm was meant to be a brutal one. She'd thought of the pros and cons of spending the last of her money on a motel room or trying to tough out the night in her truck; instead, she thought of a third option.

"I...knew you cared about me, a lot," Chloe started, but Max said softly, "I still care about you now."

Chloe squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile. "I know."

And that's how Chloe had ended up back at Max's house - and ended up spending the night, before eventually being adopted into the Max's home.

"It was totally fuckin' awesome," Chloe grinned. "I got to spend time with you and I got food and a roof over my head."

Max blushed at that comment, leaning her head on Chloe's shoulder as she looked down at their intertwined fingers. "No wonder you looked better yesterday. I've been taking care of you this entire time."

Chloe laughed. "See? I did let you take care of me," she said, nudging Max's arm, and Max just rolled her eyes in response.

"I'll be honest though, the first couple days, like when you went to work and stuff, I totally just partied in your house," Chloe admitted, and Max pulled away, eyebrows raised.

"I mean, you left the back door unlocked whenever you left, so I just," Chloe said quickly, flustered under Max's gaze.

"Wow, thanks," Max chuckled. "Good to know I have a freeloader on my back."

"I didn't like, literally party, asswipe," Chloe said, nudging Max's shoulder with her own. "I just chilled in your house and watched TV and shit."

"I'm surprised you didn't eat everything in my fridge."

"That would've made it obvious that something was up, duh," Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

That explained how Chloe always texted Max when she was at work, and never in the evenings, when she was hanging out with Bacon.

"But then when I totally broke your vase, I kinda felt like an ass," Chloe said, and the two of them looked at the azaleas in front of them. "It felt sort of wrong. Like, at the beginning I didn't ask for your help because I wanted to do things on my own but then here I was, eating all of your food."

Max thought for a moment. "So...I'm guessing to atone for you totally eating all my food, you're telling me the truth."

"Not only to atone," Chloe said, rubbing her thumb on the back of Max's hand. "I know I can be kind of difficult sometimes."

"Yeah, getting you to take a bath sucked ass," Max said under her breath, and Chloe burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry. Wolf-me isn't really into getting wet."

"You should apologize for how long it took to put a collar on you too."

Max heard Chloe whisper in her ear, "Then you can collar and leash me anytime you want, Max."

" _Wow_ , okay," Max said a little breathlessly, getting up and hoping that Chloe couldn't see how red her face was. "I'm, um, going to go make us breakfast."

As Chloe followed close on her heels, Max could almost picture the shit-eating grin on Chloe's face; she was still flustered when she reached for the carton of eggs in the fridge, and she fumbled it for a second - before Chloe's hand shot forward and caught it.

"You okay there, Maximus?" Chloe asked with a hint of amusement, her breath soft on the back of Max's neck.

"You are terrible," Max muttered, and she turned around to grab a bowl from a cabinet.

"You still like me, though, right?" Chloe asked, and despite all her bravado, Max could hear the hint of uncertainty in her voice.

As Max placed the bowl on the counter, she glanced next to her to see Chloe holding the carton of eggs in both hands, looking ridiculously puppy like as she waited for Max's response.

"Chloe, you don't need to look so scared," Max started, reaching forward to take the carton before placing it on the counter as well. "Of course I like you," she swallowed, "And...if you want to, you can still stay with me - "

Chloe threw her arms around Max, wrapping her in a tight, bear-hug, affectionately nuzzling Max's hair as she murmured, "Thanks, Max."

* * *

And that's how Max began her life anew - with a werewolf.


	2. Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another drabble! Thanks to mostlymilkwood for beta'ing [my tra sh ].

 

The first thing Max noticed about living with Chloe was that like Bacon, Chloe was almost constantly starved for food - and physical contact.

Almost anywhere they went, Chloe would hold her hand, or stand close to her side, or - when it was just the two of them - nuzzle affectionately at Max's hair, or cheek, or neck when Max did something particularly favorable.

Not that Max minded. She'd never imagined being so close to someone before, let alone being this intimate.

"Alright, Chloe, you really like pizza, I get it," Max said lightly, leaning away from Chloe's embrace to place the box of pizza on the counter.

Chloe was beaming with happiness as she looked down at Max. "Don't you know how fucking awesome this is?"

"How awesome it is to eat pizza? Yeah, I'm aware," Max responded wryly, pulling away and turning to take out two plates from a cabinet. She quickly added, "And  _please_  don't eat the pizza while I'm not looking. I have to eat too, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Chloe said, leaning against the counter and clasping her hands behind her head. "But I mean like, it's awesome that...we're…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly, and Max put the plates down on the counter as well, eyebrows raised.

"We're what?"

Chloe mumbled something.

"Chloe."

Chloe stared at the ground, dropping her arms and reaching one hand out to hold onto Max's. She said something again, so quietly that Max took a step closer, her face just inches away from Chloe's.

"Chloe. C'mon, you can't just leave me hanging like that."

"It's..." Chloe shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet, glancing at Max's face. "...It's awesome we're together."

After a moment's hesitation, Max stood on her toes and gave a quick kiss to Chloe's cheek. "That really is awesome," she said softly, pulling away and turning towards the plates.

She was caught by surprise when Chloe's arms came up from behind her, wrapping around her waist. Chloe buried her face into Max's neck, murmuring, "You're awesomer than pizza."

"Thanks," Max laughed, reaching a hand up and tangling it Chloe's blue hair. "Now c'mon, let's eat."

* * *

Then there was the matter of how fiercely Chloe tried not to admit that she loved being around Max.

That first night after Chloe revealed the truth, the two had headed into Max's room, ready to sleep after a day of getting Chloe set up in Max's house.

As they entered through the doorway however, Chloe stopped and pulled her hand away from Max's, walking straight to the closet.

Perplexed, Max sat down on the bed and watched Chloe come back out with an armful of blankets and a spare pillow.

At Max's questioning look, Chloe said determinedly, "I'll sleep on the ground."

"You don't have to," Max said, frowning. "You can - "

"Yeah, I know, wolf-me slept on the bed too but I am a decent human being who won't take advantage of your kindness," Chloe said brusquely, throwing the sheets and pillow on the ground. "You're doing me a solid by letting me stay with you. I can do better for you."

"Chloe, seriously - "

" _Max_ , seriously. Just let me do this for you, okay?" Chloe turned to her, her jaw set and expression fierce.

Max opened her mouth to try to argue, but instead she shook her head. "Alright, sure." She had the feeling that Chloe's resolve would fade away soon enough, and she settled into bed just as Chloe threw herself on the ground.

And Max was right.

Chloe lasted five minutes on the floor.

"Max?" Chloe asked softly in the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Can I…?"

Max laughed, moving over on her bed before saying, "C'mere, you big idiot."

Chloe was at her side in an instant, almost diving underneath the covers; Max instinctively reached her arms out, wrapping them around Chloe's torso as she buried her face in the crook of Chloe's neck.

"Took you long enough," she murmured.

Chloe just nuzzled the top of Max's head in response.

* * *

Then there was the matter of Chloe being left alone.

"Alright, I'll just be on a trip with Kate for a few days to a convention in the city. Try not to burn the house down, okay?" Max said, putting on her backpack and casting a look at Chloe, where she was lounging on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, jeez," Chloe said, waving a hand dismissively as she kept her eyes focused on the TV. "Have fun."

Max leaned down and gave Chloe another kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.

The moment the door closed behind Max, Chloe listened attentively as Kate's car drove away; then she raised a hand to her cheek, her thoughts momentarily focused on fantasies of -

_Okay, chill. Chill._

Chloe shook her head, clearing her mind.  _House to yourself, Price. It's time to party._

The first day of Max being gone had Chloe blasting her music as loud as she could, drinking through Max's stores of alcohol (Chloe was surprised to find out that Max had  _very_  good taste in wine), watching an array of cat videos on YouTube, and illegally downloading a variety of movies.

The second day Chloe spent lounging around, watching movies and reading through Max's books.  _What a bookworm. Cute, though._  There were a variety of literary classics, some books on gardening, and several photo albums and journals. Though Chloe considered opening the albums and journals, a part of her considered the violation of privacy.  _Max is letting me stay here. I gotta do better._

The third day Chloe decided to be responsible. Now that she was feeling better - and had a better grip on her transformations - she ended up applying to a few jobs in the area. Then she returned to watching cat videos.

Then the fourth day Chloe was bored as hell.

First, she tried watching TV.  _Bored._

Then she tried re-reading a book.  _More bored._

And left to her own thoughts, Chloe found herself thinking about Max. And how Max's hair smelled like strawberries, how the corners of Max's eyes would crinkle when she smiled or laughed, how soft Max's hand was when she held it against Chloe's face -

Chloe shook her head again, unwilling to make her own heart ache.  _Max will be back home soon._

To take her mind off things, she headed out to the backyard and turned wolf, chasing squirrels in the forest just beyond. Once the squirrels within a five mile radius got the message to avoid Arcadia Bay for a while, Chloe padded back to Max's backyard, throwing herself down on the ground next to Max's garden.

She watched the small leaves of the plants occasionally shift in the wind, and an idea slowly came to her mind as she remembered the promise she'd made to Max on the first night.  _I can do better for you._

Max had kept her garden small after Chloe's second assault on it, but Chloe had the feeling that the garden had been much more extravagant than what she was looking at now.

Getting back up on all fours, Chloe made a slow circuit around the garden, occasionally putting her muzzle close to the petals of flowers, sniffing at the variety of scents that came from within.

Once she was done surveying the area, Chloe headed back inside, turning back to her human form and getting dressed before digging around for Max's books on gardening. Then she took out Max's laptop and continued her research there as well. Something in her heart, something fiery and determined, drove Chloe to tackle her new work with a vigor and intensity that kept her attention focused on her efforts late into the night.

Eventually, when sleep began to pull at her eyelids and her slumped back began to complain of slight burns and aches, she headed to bed; once she curled up on the sheets, hyper aware of Max's absence, Chloe cuddled with a pillow as she thought of her plans for the next day.

The fifth day Chloe walked into town and bought an array of plants and seeds and various other things needed for plant nurturing. She headed back home and began her work, trying not to think about the fact that Max was still gone, trying instead to focus on the task at hand. She spent the entire afternoon kneeling on the ground, the radiant sun burning at her back, but she continued anyway - then when evening set in, Chloe turned on the backyard light and continued working, even when her body furiously protested with soreness and pain.

_Do it for Max._

The sixth day, Chloe managed to finish her work on the garden. She stood back, wiping her brow on her arm as she observed her efforts, her breathing labored and arduous as she gave an approving nod. As she lowered her arm, she looked at her tattoo, its flowers and vines and butterflies a reminder of what she'd told Max so long ago _._

_Something pretty. Something I wouldn't regret._

Then her mind wandered some more.  _Someone pretty. Someone I wouldn't regret._

Out of all this werewolf bullshit, something - or someone - good had come out of it, and for that, Chloe was grateful, and she hoped her efforts would be well-received when Max came home.

With that last thought, Chloe headed back inside.

The seventh day, Chloe only got up to take care of the garden before going back inside and curling up on the bed, her face pressed into Max's pillow as she counted down the hours until Max came back home.

The eighth day, Chloe awoke to the sound of a car being parked outside.

Abruptly sitting up in bed, her hypersensitive hearing managed to catch, "Thanks, Kate. I'll see you soon."

_Max._

Chloe launched herself out of the bed and hit the ground on all fours.

* * *

"Thanks, Kate, I'll see you soon," Max said, opening the car door. The two of them glanced up when they heard loud, excited barking coming from inside Max's house.

"I didn't know you got a dog, Max," Kate said, looking concerned.

"Um, yeah, I'll explain later. I'll see you soon, Kate," Max said hurriedly, quickly getting out and shouldering her backpack. Kate shrugged, and as she pulled out of the driveway, Max made her way to the front door, digging in her pocket for her keys.

The second Max took a step inside, she was immediately tackled to the ground by a gigantic, furry body and met with a furious amount of eager licking on her face.

"Okay, okay, I'm glad to see you too," Max laughed, pushing Chloe's muzzle away as she sat up, wiping away the spit on her face with her sleeve. "Can't believe you got so excited you wolfed out on me."

Chloe took a step back, tail wagging so fast it was a blur, her mouth open in a wide grin.

Max reached a hand out and scratched Chloe behind the ears. "I missed you too," she said softly.

Chloe's response was another lick to the face before she tried to curl up in Max's lap.

"Okay, Chloe, you're a little too big to be a lap dog," Max said, trying to push Chloe off - but Chloe just turned her head to Max, looking so forlorn and sad that Max sighed.

"Alright, you big baby, go ahead and cut off my leg circulation," Max said, rolling her eyes.

Chloe's tail immediately started wagging again as she made herself comfortable, and a small smile came to Max's face as she ran her hands through Chloe's familiar blonde mane.

* * *

Once Chloe managed to calm down enough to turn human again, she got dressed and then gave Max a blindfold.

"What is this for?" Max asked curiously.

"Put it over your eyes, I got a surprise to show you," Chloe said eagerly, almost bouncing with as much enthusiasm as before.

Though Max rolled her eyes, she did as she was told.

"Where are you bringing me, Chloe?" Max asked as Chloe tugged on her hand, guiding her - Max heard the back door open, and a light breeze brushed across her face as the two headed outside.

Chloe gently held her hands as the two walked a few more steps before Chloe stopped them both. "Okay, okay, take off your blindfold...now!"

Max reached up and untied it, holding the cloth in her fingers as she looked at the garden in front of her.

It was like Chloe had gone all out.

Her garden was a flamboyant explosion of color as flowers of all types and kinds covered the ground - the edges were lined with shrubs, where fruits and berries shone brightly in the light of day. Small signposts plunged into the soil marked the names of each plant, written in Chloe's messy scrawl. The leaves and stems of all were a brilliant green, a sign of good health and delicate nurturing, and Max felt something in her heart as she thought of the effort Chloe went through to make this all happen.

"Do you like it?" Chloe asked, squeezing Max's hand.

"Chloe," Max said slowly, "You did all this for me?"

"Yeah! I said I'd do better," Chloe said cheerfully. "And I did! Right?"

Max looked down at the blindfold in her hands, and then she looked up at Chloe's face - bright, exuberant, beaming at her with such eagerness that Max had no words for a moment as she gazed at the beauty and joy radiating from Chloe's entire being.

Breathless, Max started, "It's wonderful, Chloe, all of this is," and she looked back down at the blindfold in her hands, blinking as she tried to get her thoughts back together. An idea began to form in her mind...

"But I have a surprise for you too," she said, swallowing before holding up the blindfold. "Do you mind if I - ?"

Chloe looked surprised, almost hurt by Max's lackluster reaction, but she nodded anyway. "Okay."

Max pressed the blindfold against Chloe's eyes, biting her lip in hesitation.

"So…?" Chloe started, her brow furrowed as Max stayed quiet.

Max gathered her courage and stood on her toes before pressing her lips to Chloe's.

It was a relatively chaste kiss, just lips on lips; but she didn't linger, instead reluctantly pulling herself away as she lowered the blindfold from Chloe's eyes, only to see Chloe's face flushed and surprised, her mouth parted slightly as she looked back at Max.

"S-s-sorry," Max stammered, heart hammering in her chest, her breathing light and shallow as she took a step back, looking back down at the blindfold in her trembling hands.  _Holy shit, I cannot believe I just -_

Chloe's hands reached up and held Max's face, tilting it upward as Chloe leaned in for another kiss.

Chloe's lips were tentative, warm and soft against her own, but as Max reached a hand up, tangling it in Chloe's hair, a tingle ran down her spine as Chloe placed her hands on Max's back, bringing them closer together. For a brief moment, all Max could focus on was the taste of Chloe on the tip of her tongue, the warmth of Chloe's body flush against her own, and the beating of Chloe's heart as Max dropped the blindfold and pressed her palm against the center of Chloe's chest.

Once they pulled away, breathing hard, Chloe dropped her head slightly, her lips gently caressing Max's throat as she murmured, "That was awesome."

Breathless and in a daze, Max managed to say, "Yeah, better than the other times you kissed me."

Chloe immediately jerked back up, expression incredulous. "What? When have I kissed you?"

"You licked my face like, a thousand times when you were in wolf mode," Max said, laughing and pulling away as she placed one of her hands in Chloe's.

"Th-th-those don't count!" Chloe said indignantly, her face red as the two headed back inside.

"You can make up for it by giving me a thousand real kisses, then."

Chloe's classic shit-eating grin came to her face again, and she turned Max around to face her before leaning in close.

"I can do that."


End file.
